One Worded Thoughts
by Yunique
Summary: KakaSaku. Sakura hasn’t been in contact with her team for nearly three years and now that they have returned to become team 7 again, Sakura begins to see her sensei in a new light. She finds herself utterly confused about where she stands with her sensei.
1. Smile

_**One Worded Thoughts**_

_Summary -_** KakaxSaku. Sakura hasn't been in contact with her team for nearly three years. And now that they have returned to become team seven again, Sakura begins to see her sensei in a new light. Is her attraction to him based on teenage hormones or genuine affection? She finds herself utterly confused about where she stands with her sensei.**

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_**Prologue**_

_I smiled. A real one this time._

_It felt odd. It didn't feel right having the two sides of my lips pulled up, crinkling my eyes. I hadn't experienced this sort of happiness in a while; it would explain why the feeling was so foreign to me._

_I was glad all the pain was gone. That everything had fallen back into place – like how it was always meant to be. _

_It is frightening how dangerous our world is. How corrupted everything and everyone has become. _

_Sacrifices._

_Hate._

_Revenge._

_I hated it. I would rather have everyone be a coward. _

_Because losing your two best friends and having to watch as they tore each other apart was a nightmare in itself._

_But it was over. The worst was over. My friends were back, and we were a team again. And that is all that I had ever wanted, and that is how it is now and how I wanted it to be forever. _

_I could only hope that nothing would destroy it._

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**Chapter One** –_ Smile_

_Every time, I close my eyes,_

_It's you,_

_And I know now, _

_Who I am,_

_Yeah, I know now._

I woke to the buzzing of my alarm clock, and tapped it lightly, rather than the sluggish way my old habits did. Crossing my arms I placed my head on the top of my palms and smiled at the ceiling. It would be the first morning in a while since the old team seven had a lesson together with their old sensei.

My smile turned into a grin as I thought of the literal meaning. Kakashi-sensei was a little older now. He too would share the joy of the reunion today; he had been waiting for their return just like I had. In the back of my mind, I pondered the thought that perhaps today he wouldn't be late, or maybe he would - just for old times' sake. Kakashi-sensei was never predictable.

I couldn't recall the last morning I woke in a good mood. Today would have to be a first in a while.

All night I didn't want to fall asleep because of the lack of trust I held for my ten year old alarm clock. I didn't want to be late to our reunion, so I thought if I stayed up all night I couldn't be late.

I realised as I stepped out of my house that I appreciated things a little more. I know – I'm talking gibberish, but really. It's as if all along I had locked myself up, and saw things but wasn't really seeing them up until l now. But now that the burdening thoughts have miraculously vanished after waiting for years, I can finally open up and appreciate what other things life had to offer.

My thoughts were interrupted by new thoughts as I realised the old meeting place was completely empty. I cursed silently. I had arrived too soon. Even Sasuke wasn't here, and he was always the early one. My expression changed accordingly as pessimistic thoughts invaded my mind. What if they don't turn up because they had better things to do? Am I the only one who looked forward to this reunion?

My thoughts fell silent. I felt broken again.

But I controlled myself. I had waited for three years; I could wait another fifteen minutes. I remained positive and told myself any one of them would be here soon.

Waiting.

That's all I ever seemed to be achieving. I leaned over the bridge and watched the water glisten in the sunlight as it ran through small rocks.

It helped calm me down, strangely. Even the sound and smell of the river below was sensitive and familiar to my nose and ears. I crumpled up a nearby leaf and watched the pieces scatter in the air and floated on the surface of the water, going underwater whenever there was a ripple. I sighed loudly.

"Why so gloomy on such a beautiful day?"

I jerked my head. Almost afraid. Not afraid because he didn't sound familiar –afraid because I hadn't heard it in years and that I _still _recognised the owner of the voice. How could I not? That lazy drawl was so distinct.

"Kakashi – sensei!"

He smiled his eye creasing smile. I felt my heart jump at the familiarity. I had not seen Kakashi-sensei for a while. Ever since Naruto and Sasuke had left, we never really kept in contact. We had missions, worries and life to deal with. But cutting worries out of the equation had allowed us to step up.

I smiled hugely back. He sure didn't look any older, but who could tell with more than ninety percent of his body covered up all the time? Nothing about his appearance had changed at all. He was even carrying his book around. It was a relief to know that he hadn't changed. It made the reality right now more believable.

"You're here early I see," Kakashi observed.

"Me? I'm always early. I'm your top student, remember?" I joked lightly.

He chuckled. "How can I forget? You're my only student who hasn't lost it, yet."

"I dunno sensei. I'd say I've already passed that phase." I smiled sheepishly.

"Really? Hm."

I watched as he feigned shock. "But what about you sensei? Why are you early? Is it because you're excited to see everyone too?"

I knew Kakashi-sensei would feel the same. I had a feeling he'd come early for the reasons why I did. I guess in ways he was predictable.

"No, actually...I forgot about the meeting today. And I happened to decide to go for an early morning stroll around the block and coincidentally ran into you and remembered."

"Oh." I tried to not let the disappointment be evident on my face. But I couldn't help but let the act slip; so much disappointment couldn't be ignored.

"Ha-ha! Sakura, you're still so gullible," he suddenly laughed, surprising me. I wasn't used to him joking so casually like this. I kind of liked it.

He put his palm on my shoulder softly and smiled that same smile he gave me the day he told me everything was going to be okay. I figured he was trying to make me recall that specific memory deliberately to make me see how he was right all along. And I couldn't help but smile back. Because he had kept true to his words. Everything was okay now. Heck, everything was more than okay. So I passed his cruel joke. I'd have to bash him the next time he tried to pull a trick on me like that again.

There was a pause of silence. We stood like that, his hand on my shoulder. Connecting us. It was sort of nice in a weird way.

And in an instant later I heard another voice. Just as warm and familiar as the last.

"Sakura-chan!"

I whipped my head reflexively with a grin so huge I was sure it would have scared Naruto, behind him Sasuke trailed after, following him like a shadow. Quiet and graceful like he'd always been. But a different vibe bounced off him, not of revenge or hate this time. An aura which was almost approachable. Naruto jumped into my open arms and we hugged for what seemed like hours, I eyed Sasuke in his embrace. He was watching us. Crossing his arms over his chest, leaning onto the bridge - smirking. Disguising his excitement, I was sure.

"Ah, I missed you Sakura-chan!"

"I missed you guys just as much," I smiled at Naruto and stole a quick glance from Sasuke.

He smirked back. And that was more of a welcome I could ever want from Sasuke.

"Alright team, let's move it. I want to see those new techniques of yours," Kakashi-sensei interrupted, smiling down at Naruto and Sasuke. "You two sure grow fast," he commented.

"And you haven't aged one bit, old man," Sasuke remarked with a smirk, already making a head start to the training grounds.

Kakashi-sensei stared after him. "I see Sasuke hasn't changed," he sighed.

Naruto grinned. "Kakashi-sensei! To the training grounds!" Naruto encouraged, throwing his fist into the air. Something I missed him doing. Sensei still knew how to get Naruto worked up.

I smiled. It felt good to smile again.

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I remembered the days when I used to dread training. It was always so early in the mornings, and we'd find ourselves waiting for Kakashi-sensei for hours, it was a complete waste of time - time that could have been used for extra needed sleep. And sensei's confusing and torturous teaching was obnoxious sometimes. But now, things are a little different. Like I had mentioned I was more appreciative. Appreciative to the fact that this training is what keeps team seven's bond so strong and unbreakable.

Besides, it was great having the permission to bash Naruto for no reason. He was afraid of me now. I kind of liked that. I liked being the strong one, even if it meant I'd grow muscles on my arms and become that much less feminine. It was an equal sacrifice. Equivalent exchange you could say. Though sometimes I did worry about it. I didn't want to scare every man I met and die lonely. Though I wasn't interested in a relationship right now. I had more important things to focus on, and my friends would keep me occupied for long enough.

I relaxed my muscles, and leaned all my weight on my arms, and stared into the tree above me. Kakashi-sensei was there, reading again. He really hadn't changed at all.

"Hey sensei?" I called.

"Hm?"

My lips quirked up in a half smile. He was so focused on his novel, his eyes continued to skim the pages, not lowering his book nor looking up. He was pretty talented if he knew how to read and listen at the same time. Though I expected nothing less from my sensei. For a moment I thought of all the times he had saved my ass in battle and how I had helped him out only just once that day. The thought made me laugh.

"Yes, Sakura?" He encouraged, noticing my continued silence.

"Since when did you sit in trees?" I laughed.

"Hmmm. Well, I thought it would be better for me to supervise you kids from up here –clearer view."

"Kids? Sensei, we're not kids anymore. You know that."

After the pause, I figured he had ended the conversation to continue reading, so I watched Naruto and Sasuke spar for a moment instead - until Kakashi-sensei suddenly dropped from the tree and landed a foot away from me. He always moved so stealthily and silently; silent as the flight of an owl. Sure it was cool when we had first met our sensei, but it was rather annoying now. Though I still wished I could be just as sneaky.

He lay on the grass and propped his head up with one hand and the other holding his novel. I perked my head at him, and he glanced back at me.

"What is it?" He mumbled from under his mask.

I choked back a chuckle. "What happened to supervising us?"

"Well, you're apparently not kids, so I still don't need to continue babysitting you, do I?"

From under his mask I could tell he was smiling from the way his mask scrunched up on the sides of his lips and his eyes that seemed to smile too. I smiled back. I noticed I had been doing that more often. I smiled more in the last few hours than I had in the last few years. Strange isn't it?

"I guess I did say that didn't I?" I looked down, and started picking at the grass. "But you know sensei, I think I prefer if that way. I prefer you babysitting us. If you didn't, it wouldn't feel the same."

I watched as Kakashi-sensei lowered his book and eyed me.

"And it wouldn't feel right if I didn't babysit you. It's part of my job." His eyes smiled again.

" You're right." It was nice to be able to talk to Kakashi-sensei like this.

"I always am."

"Oh, whatever sensei."

And we stayed like that, for the rest of the afternoon. Sasuke and Naruto hadn't tired out, still determined to beat the other up, and showing off their new skills to each other at the same time. Kakashi continued reading, and I lay down in the shade too next to Kakashi-sensei, enjoying the cool breeze and the peace within me. I tried to focus on relaxing every muscle. I stretched my body as far as I could, hearing the pops and cracks in my joints in the process. Closing my eyes, I felt the warmth of Kakashi's body next to me, I hadn't realised how close he was; it made me crave his warmth. I slowly started to feel myself drifting away; my eyes became heavier, even when they were still closed. The warmth of Kakashi and the silence was making me so tired I decided to take a nap, just a little one. Now where was that warmth coming from again? I didn't know or care what the source was anymore by that point; I just clung closer to it.

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I sat up and realised how cold it had suddenly gotten, the action made my head feel light and dizzy. The sun had disappeared completely and the wind was chilly. My eyes searched for Kakashi, but he wasn't lying down, he was walking at a casual pace to where Naruto and Sasuke were creating chaos.

Silent as an owl.

Why were we leaving already? What was his rush? But I paid no more thought to it.

Naruto and Sasuke had let go of their fight faster than I thought they would have; proof that they have matured in ways. They were both laughing and joking, their arms slung over each other's shoulder, both exerted and walking like two drunken men. It was such a sight; I wished I had a photo of it. But with no camera, I instead, tried to engrave the image into my mind.

"Sakura! Did you watch me? I'm stronger now aren't I?" He began to boast.

I nodded in absolute agreement. Watching Naruto and Sasuke smile and boast again, made my heart do flips. They were like my brothers.

"Well then, time to go home?" Kakashi had appeared after them, looking distracted himself.

"Yeah, I'm beat," Naruto yawned loudly, popping his neck. Sasuke and I nodded in agreement.

"Tomorrow we'll meet at the same time and place. Is that okay with everyone?" Kakashi asked almost too politely.

All three of us nodded in unison.

"Good. See you three then." Kakashi waved and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"What's his hurry?" Sasuke cocked a brow at Kakashi's departure.

"Oh, who cares? Maybe in a rush to read the latest book pervy sage wrote or something," Naruto blew it off nonchalantly. "Hey let's get some ramen!"

"Are they even open?" Sasuke asked with obvious doubt.

"Of course they are, even if they were closed, they would be open for their best customer," Naruto grinned. "Me!"

I could already feel myself getting used to this. And I thought it'd be a nice change, so I let it happen, I let myself become attached to these people again. How could you not? No matter how idiotic they were I always thought they were charming in their weird way, I loved them all as my friends and family almost, even sensei. I chuckled silently at the thought.

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"Sakura, why don't you spar with them?"

It was day two and we had met up at the bridge, waiting for our sensei for nearly an _hour._ Though it had worn down Naruto's patience, it had not put a dent into the positive attitude I had today.

"Sensei, I'm pretty sure they're doing fine on their own," I muttered lazily.

"It's not their training I'm worried about Sakura, it's _yours,"_ his tone really was concerned.

"I don't have a sparring buddy like them, what am I suppose to do? Kick myself?" I replied with heavy sarcasm. "Besides I might be able to learn a few tricks if I watch them."

I really couldn't be bothered training. I enjoyed watching them better. Watching them be together reminded me that we _were_ together again. For the past few years, what I was seeing now was only possible in my dreams, which is why I tended to think everything was a dream whenever I woke up in the mornings or whenever I was away from them. That is why watching them was so reassuring to me.

"Well, you can try kicking me instead."

I looked up at him to see whether he was kidding - but he was serious so I smiled at his offer. "Okay."

We both got onto our feet and started searching for a suitable area.

"We won't be needing too much space," Kakashi stated.

"We won't? Why not?" I asked curiously. If I wanted to show off my techniques, then I would need plenty of space.

"We'll focus on your close quarter skills," Kakashi replied in his monotone. "This will do nicely."

I assessed the area with a few glances and looked at Kakashi-sensei. "Why close quarter?"

"Well, I recall it wasn't your best area." He began to walk back a few steps till we were at least two metres apart. "Ready?"

I rolled my eyes and got into position. "Ready."

I had gotten better at close combat, Tsunade had taught me a great deal. She taught me how to control and direct my chakra to wherever I wanted it. She taught me that the more chakra I could control in one area the stronger the blow will be. My strength had come from Tsunade's training. I was grateful to have been her student, even for a brief time.

I lunged at Kakashi-sensei pushing my upper body towards his direction, readying my chakra for a blow to his face. He had stopped my arm by grabbing my wrist about to pull me towards the ground, but before I hit the ground I placed my knees high onto my chin and readied my chakra into my feet and quickly sprung my legs out like a spring, placing both my feet against Kakashi-sensei's calf, the force had pushed against him. I was attempting to break his balance and to bring him to the ground with me.

Instead of falling like I had intended, Kakashi flipped backwards and slid a few metres away. "Nice," he complimented.

I smirked as I recovered from my fall."You haven't seen anything yet." And I quickly closed the distance between us in an instant, and began to throw kicks and punches. I aimed at his ribs and his face mainly. I was allowed to hurt him - just a little.

But none of my blows were successful; he was blocking everything I threw at him.

"You've got to try harder than that if you want to hurt me."

I grinned back. "I'll bring you to the ground." That was now my new objective.

I threw a punch at his shoulder and spun around to kick him in the ribs in the next step I took. He grabbed my ankle this time and spun my leg around so that my whole body twisted with it; my face plunged into the grass before I could do anything else. "Looks like I brang _you_ to the ground instead," he said almost smugly.

I slowly rised, my anger slowly rising with it. "That's it." I started to sprint towards him; I was going to tackle him to the ground, whatever it took for me to beat him. I would force him to the ground. I will not be the weak one this time. I had enough chakra build up to achieve that at least. I sprinted and ran into his shoulder pressing myself as hard as I could against his body with so much force Kakashi-sensei began to lose his balance, and just to be sure he didn't escape I held close to his chest, wrapping my arms tightly around his shoulders. In the next moment he was flat on the ground between my legs. I cheered happily at my victory.

"I told you I'd bring you to the ground!"

I glanced at him for a second. He was panting quite heavily; it was all I could hear. Did I tire him out so much that he was exerted already? Maybe sensei was getting rusty. "Ha! And you're already tired. I could go for round two!"

I stopped boasting after his continued pause. I leaned closer to sensei; worried. What if I did hurt him that bad?

"Uh - Sensei? Did I hurt you that badly?"

"N-no," he suddenly sucked in a sharp breath.

"Then why are you so quiet? Oh, I know. You're ashamed that you lost, right?" I smiled cheekily.

"Y-yeah," he muttered in between his heavy breathing. I sat like that just watching him breathe heavily and staring at me in a way I couldn't comprehend. His expression at this moment held so much complexity, it confused me. "Sakura, please get off me." He suddenly spoke, his tone sounded unusually low and slightly strangled, almost pleading.

"Oh! Sorry," I smiled sheepishly. I realised I was straddling his waist, so I slowly got up and allowed him to get up. When he rised I watched and noticed how his eyes were so intense. His gaze was dark – hard to decipher. For some reason, it didn't suit Kakashi-sensei.

"Sensei? Are you sure you're o - "

"Of course I am, I'm just...a little old, that's all." His voice was husky and a little distant; it sent shivers down my spine. A weird reaction.

Kakashi-sensei had round up the two boys and we headed home; the day had ended. The sun had set. And tomorrow would be another day.

Kakashi had put me back into training mode. Whenever I could, I would train. I couldn't let myself be distracted by anymore emotions. My happiness for Naruto and Sasukes return would need to be suppressed so that I could concentrate. Now that they have returned I wanted to be strong enough to protect them as well, so that they wouldn't be taken away from me again.

I was ninja after all – a konoichi who had expectations to live up to. And I wouldn't be meeting those expectations if I were bludging all the time. I had to shape up, and I decided my sensei would help me.

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**I already have the next few chapters written up, so there will be updates according to the reviews I receive. Though I expect a lot of criticism instead of praise as I have not written stories nor read much in the past year or so because of school and now my writing skills are a little off. :P So bear with me! **


	2. Mesmerized

**Chapter Two**_ – Mesmerized_

_We haven't talked since we left,  
It's so overdue,  
It's cold outside,  
But between us it's worse in here._

_The world slows down,  
But my heart beats fast right now,  
I know this is the part,  
Where the end starts._

I woke up that morning, feeling a little strange. I dismissed the thought and got dressed for training. I grinned in the mirror as I brushed my teeth when I remembered how I had beaten Kakashi the other day. I would do it again today.

With that as my key motivator, I hurried out of the house and to the meeting area. I was more determined than ever to train today. I was strong, but I wanted to be stronger. I wanted to spar with sensei again because he didn't hold back on me. He didn't treat me like I was a weakling; he treated me like I was a worthy opponent.

I knew I was early to the meeting place but I couldn't help the excitement any other way, I didn't mind being the only one waiting there.

So I was rather surprised when Naruto had shown up earlier than me.

"Naruto?" I asked with raised brows. "What are you doing here so early?"

"Ah, Sakura-chan!" He turned with a grin, "I came here to tell you training is cancelled for today."

I stared at him like he had just said something ridiculous, which he sort of did do. "What? What for?" I scowled.

"I dunno, sensei just told me at _my _house this morning to tell you and Sasuke that it was cancelled," he tried to explain, suddenly frowning. "I hate it when he does that. I really should start locking my window shut."

I cocked my head to the side and pondered. "Why would sensei cancel training though?" I was asking myself more than I was asking Naruto. "I don't get it." I felt disappointment sink into me.

"Beats me," Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "Anyway, since you and I aren't doing anything...do you–"

"No thank you, Naruto," I rebuked. "I've got something to investigate. Sorry, maybe next time?" I waved Naruto goodbye apologetically and heard him mumble something like "I'll hold you to it," in reply.

I would have gone on that friendly date with Naruto, but today I had other goals to achieve.

Training comes first.

I had thought that through last night.

I wasn't only doing it for myself, but for them as well, so that one day I could protect them as they have for me many times before.

I dashed my way out of the area and headed towards my next destination.

Kakashi-sensei's house.

I was determined to find out what was wrong, and what had driven him to cancel our training. It must have been fairly serious. So I was going to check up on Kakashi-sensei as well. He could be hurt or something; physically or emotionally. He probably just didn't want to tell anybody.

Maybe I could be of some help. Help him heal faster with my healing abilities if it were a physical problem, since he was always so keen on avoiding the hospital. Or if it were an emotional situation, maybe my girl advice could be of some use. Either way I would find out what was wrong.

I wasn't even half tired as I reached his home. I had never been inside before, but I knew where he lived. I remembered Tsunade sending me off on an errand to pass on a message to Kakashi-sensei. But he wasn't home that day, so I had placed the letter under his doorstep. And I tended to remember things like that after learning just once.

So here I was walking the short distance to his front door. I couldn't help but feel a little nervous, like I didn't belong here. Probably because the place looked so quiet, like there was no one living inside. Though his house was very decent. White and surprisingly neat, with not many flowering pots or plants or anything like that. He probably never had the time to care for them, nor the money to hire a gardener.

I started to knock on his door softly at first, hoping I wasn't disturbing him. When I heard no movement within the house, I started to bang a little louder.

That's when I heard rustling from inside then footsteps that followed after. I waited patiently as I backed off one step. I heard him sigh loudly from the other side and stopped before the door. Had I disturbed him?

He opened the door and raised his brows, his eyes wide with shock. "S-sakura!" He gaped.

"The one and only," I said simply as I sneaked a peek into his house.

"What brings you here?" he asked his face evidently in the state of shock.

I stopped peeking and gave him an accusing glare. "Sensei, why'd you cancel training?"

He seemed shocked by my demanding question, I didn't understand why he would be, he should have seen it coming.

"Because I - I was busy." It was odd hearing Kakashi-sensei stammering.

"You sure don't look busy," I replied evenly. "Can I come in?"

"Um, I wouldn't advise you to, it's a dump in here. It's embarrassing," he replied dryly.

I raised a twitchy brow. "You get embarrassed? But you read porn in public, and that doesn't embarrass you," I deadpanned.

He was unfazed by my statement. "Wouldn't you rather be out catching up with your friends?"

I stared at him aghast. "But sensei! What about my training? You said you were concerned with my training. I don't want to be the weakest in our team again, Naruto and Sasuke are well off since they've had so much more experience than me," I whined. I knew I sounded childish, so I quickly **a**dded, "Please?" to compensate. Though the latter probably topped up the childish act.

I watched as his face and posture showed hesitance. I knew he was debating inside his mind what to decide because his eyebrows were tilting just the slightest, enough to give that away. And his rigid posture and locked jaw showed hesitance. But his eyes gave nothing away.

"I won't be much trouble, I swear," I said quickly, so to persuade him to say yes.

After a full minute he sighed with defeat and stepped aside, silently giving me permission to enter.

I stepped inside, trying to disguise the smile of triumph from him. When he had shut the door closed behind us, I only just realised that the lights were off till he flicked them on a second later.

"Were you sleeping earlier sensei?"

"No – just – thinking I guess," he drawled in his monotone voice.

"Thinking? About what sensei?"

"Stuff that only old people need to worry about," he smiled as he ruffled my hair casually.

"H –hey!"

"So!" Kakashi-sensei began. "What type of training do you want to start off with? And if you're here for training why didn't you bring Sasuke and Naruto?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest. His tone and body language was accusing.

I stopped to think about it, "Well, I didn't want to bring anyone else because I wanted to spar with you myself, and you would be more likely to say yes if it was just one person. Less troubling for you, right, sensei?"

He raised his brow in humour. "Not necessarily," he began. "Sometimes it doesn't have to take three people to drive someone crazy. One person is enough to make someone go insane, and lose all rational thought."

He seemed to be talking more to himself; I didn't pay much attention to it. He had his back to me and his hands in his pockets. "Shall we go outside to start then?" He said thoughtfully. He didn't wait for my reply so I followed after him.

It was still morning, so the sun was still up and still hot. I was thankful that my ninja outfit were a simple skirt and tank top. Kakashi-sensei however might suffer with his long-sleeved black turtle neck and his mask. Maybe he would take it off? I smirked at the thought. Maybe that could be my objective today.

"So what will we be doing today?" Kakashi-sensei started off.

I smiled. "I was thinking...close quarter skills."

For a brief second I saw Kakashi-sensei's expression turn to mortification. My smile widened. Was he that afraid of me beating him again? Ha!

"Sakura - let's maybe stick to our ninjutsu," he offered pleasantly.

"Are you afraid to lose to me again sensei?" I prompted. "Besides we don't have enough space for ninjutsu training. Your backyard is way too small, and I'm afraid I might break something."

I was ready to kick his ass again so I got into position. I didn't want to wait for an answer. "Ready or not, here I come!"

But before I had the chance to do anything, Kakashi-sensei charged up to me, so I took my defensive stance. He threw a punch and I parried the blow with my own hand. He threw a combination at me this time with kicks and elbows. Though it was only training, he was serious as his attacks were aimed at my nerve points which would cripple me horribly if a single blow landed.

When I saw an opening in his attack I used little chakra in my arm to take the advantage. I charged within his reach and delivered a series of blows to his chest, attacking repeatedly. I knew his moves well enough to know when to dodge most of his counter attacks. Though I thought I was doing damage it seemed to only invigorate him in the end as Kakashi-sensei only reacted by picking up the pace. I couldn't keep up, I knew I was in trouble.

The sheer amount of energy required to dodge the attacks did not allow me to form my own offense. Before I knew it, he was wearing me down. I was already panting. The heat combined with the intensity of the training was draining my chakra faster and faster with each passing second. I had to come up with something otherwise Kakashi-sensei would end up winning this battle.

I panted heavily as my body felt its limit. The immense heat had exhausted my body so much I couldn't fight back anymore; every muscle of my body ached and weighed me down. It was too hot to even be outside. My throat was sore and dry, craving for water desperately.

"Sensei, how about a break?" I panted.

"If I were your real enemy, would I be allowing you any water breaks?" He said it so cruel and uncaringly.

I sighed loudly, and continued to push my body towards its extreme.

I lunged myself at him again and again. My tactics didn't change. I was too tired to even think clearly. He caught every punch and dodged every kick. It was starting to piss me off. I stopped for a second to catch my breath, while I thought of a better strategy. Punching and kicking him aimlessly was futile, and all it was doing was wasting away my energy and chakra levels.

With what I had left of my chakra I decided to gather it into my right fist. This would be the blow that would claim my victory. I hoped. I wanted the fight to end so that I could rest again. My body begged for it. I was still a little sore from yesterday too.

I suddenly felt the air move unnaturally around me, and realised Kakashi was no longer in front of me but behind me. I was quick enough to have grabbed his arm before it had hit my shoulder. I pulled down onto his arm with my left hand so that I could aim easier. This was it. He was falling and his guard was down, I felt my whole right fist become enveloped in my chakra as it came into contact with Kakashi-sensei's shoulder.

I gasped loudly as Kakashi-sensei yelped. He crashed to the ground in a heap, panting just as heavily as I was.

I couldn't breathe anymore. My lungs were tight all of a sudden. My throat sore and dry. I felt weak.

"Sensei? I- I – didn't meaa..." I reached out for him, walking towards his direction even though my knees were wobbly and I was losing my voice – or could I just not hear it? All the heat and training had gotten to me by then. I felt my eyelids slowly shutting. Kakashi-sensei lying on the ground was becoming a blurry image. Then suddenly everything went pitch black.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Slowly, the darkness started to ebb away. My eyes fought hard to open and fluttered as I attempted to do so. I realised I was lying down, so I tried to sit up but grimaced and gave out a cry because of the immense pain that had suddenly chorused through my body. I collapsed back down onto the comfy surface I was laying on, as sitting up wasn't going to work.

"Ungh..." I groaned clutching my temples. As my eyes adjusted to the lighting, I surveyed the room around me and instantly knew where I was. I was still at Kakashi-sensei's house. But where was he?

As if an answer to my thoughts, I heard a shout from somewhere. I raised my head just slightly and noticed an open door which had the lights switched on from inside, just opposite of where I was laying.

Kakashi-sensei must be in there.

I winced and tried not to gasp at the pain as I removed the sheets off me and got to my feet. I slowly stepped towards the room I believed Kakashi-sensei was in. I hoped he wasn't in the middle of something. I mean if he was, he would close the door right? So it wouldn't be my fault entirely if I did interrupt something.

I peeked inside from outside the door. The first thing I noticed was that it wasn't a room, but a bathroom.

The next thing I noticed was that my sensei was half naked.

I clamped my hands around my mouth to ensure that I wasn't going to squeal. I blushed furiously and thanked god that he hadn't noticed my presence. I knew I should have looked away, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from what I saw.

My eyes were greedy and took in everything it could. I scanned his entire body and gaped as I watched his strong, taut muscles on his back and arms stretch over his frame. I even noticed the prominent –yet faded– scars that were all over his body. I wanted to remember every detail, probably because I had never seen my sensei reveal so much skin. The thought instantly made me direct my gaze towards his face, but was instantly disappointed as he was still wearing his mask. I cursed silently.

I watched from behind feeling dazed and in a trance til I noticed a third thing.

Kakashi was applying something to his right shoulder. Some sort of cream? I looked closer and recognised a bruise that he was rubbing over. My eyes grew wide as I remembered what had happened earlier.

"Kakashi -sensei?"

I watched as he turned his head in horror and what looked like shame. "S –sakura!" He trembled. "What are you doing up? You should be resting." He quickly said, recovering from his earlier tone of voice to a more serious one.

"I-I can't sleep," I replied. I was surprised by how small my voice had suddenly sounded.

"Try to," he replied before he continued to pamper his bruise. "You need it. The heat had exhausted and dehydrated your body. I left some cold water on the table next to the sofa for you."

"Thank you," I smiled. "Oh. And here – let me help, it was my fault after all."

I reached over and grabbed the cream that was on the sink and began to rub his bruise lightly, trying not to press too hard. I made sure I did it slow so that I could savour the moment, and it gave me an excuse to be up close to him. My brows suddenly frowned as I had realised what I thought. Sure my sensei was inhumanly attractive – but it didn't mean I should be thinking such thoughts. I shook my head.

But I couldn't help myself.

My eyes couldn't stop staring and admiring. I didn't know how to contain myself so I bit my lip instead.

"Is something wrong?" Kakashi-sensei suddenly asked.

"O – oh, no, nothing." He only blinked in reply to my answer.

In that exact moment, I wanted to kick myself. I was thinking taboo thoughts and it was screwing up my words and actions. Even my hands began to tremble slightly, as I continued to rub the cream over his skin.

I didn't want to risk him noticing my shaky hands so I placed the container back onto the sink and pressed both my palms on Kakashi's bruise and concentrated on my chakra, trying to direct it through my body and into his. I shut my eyes tightly and imagined my chakra the colour green and entering his body, healing the wounds. I tried to _only _imagine his bruised shoulder and not some other body part. I reopened them shortly after and couldn't help but be satisfied with the flawless skin left behind.

"There," I said triumphantly.

I looked up at him to see why he had not answered. He was gazing at me darkly; the same dark look he gave me that day at the training grounds. The look that I didn't understand. I felt so vulnerable whenever I was close to him, the mere proximity made me feel dizzy. He disrupted the flow of my thoughts and this led to my body becoming unresponsive.

I then realised how close our bodies and faces were. So warm I could feel his body heat, like I had that day I lay next to him. It was so comforting because it was familiar to me it made me want to lean into him and touch his face and chest and envelope myself in this warmth.

My thoughts that followed after weren't very helpful. It only made my situation worse. I felt my body wanting. It began to sway slightly to his direction, like my body was being drawn to whatever he was doing to me. I felt my lungs begin to tighten. Kakashi-sensei's breathe was hot on my cheek, it sent shivers throughout my entire body, making my body burst into flames.

His eyes then flickered to my cheeks suddenly, like he had snapped out of his own kind of trance, and I blushed even more as I realised he must have noticed the faint pink on my cheeks.

As a reflex reaction, I covered my cheeks, pressing my palms on them, as if to push the blush away.

"A – ah! I think I'm going to go drink some water," I quickly said as I made my escape.

I sat on the sofa and grabbed the cold glass of water and pressed it against my hot cheek. I sighed and closed my eyes. I tried to cleanse my thoughts before I started to blush again. Why was I even blushing? Sensei is double my age! And he was my _sensei_. It was wrong. I was being an idiot, and I knew it. And it had to stop.

"You okay back there, Sakura?" Kakashi-sensei appeared by the bathroom door. And to my disappointment, he was dressed up in his ninja get up. That was fast.

"Y-yeah, it's just really hot in here all of a sudden. Isn't it?"

He only raised his brow in question or agreement, I wasn't sure.

He was staring at me. It made me feel almost hysterical. I looked down to my knees and tried not to blush again. I listened, and only felt the drumming of my heartbeat. That didn't help. My heartbeat was so loud, I was sure he could hear it from where he was standing. That only caused my blush to erupt on my face like Mt Vesuvius.

My gaze snapped up and I forced a smile on my face. "Well, it was nice training with you today Kakashi -sensei. But I think it's getting a little late." I tried to make it as clear as possible –while not being rude at the same time- that I wanted to leave.

"Ah. You're right. I think it's best you go now," he said evenly.

I inhaled deeply. I was disappointed that he wanted me to leave as well. I was sort of hoping he'd suggest I'd stay. But even if he did offer. I would have had to refuse.

I followed Kakashi-sensei to the front of the house. He opened the door for me politely. I stood still inside for a bit and breathed in again as if I was trying to remember and familiarise with his house. But it was silly. Why would I need to do that? I wasn't going to come back to his house. Because I knew I shouldn't come here again. It wasn't right.

"Goodnight, Kakashi-sensei," I nodded and stepped out.

"Goodnight, Sakura."

I smiled one last time and began to make my way home. My smile vanished the moment I turned a corner and was out of his sight. My heart literally felt like it had weighed one hundred times heavier. I had no idea why I suddenly felt this way for him.

All I knew was that I was utterly confused about how and where I stood with my sensei.

Things were changing between us.

And it was scaring me.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

**If this was to be a comedy based story, I would have made Kakashi wear a towel, and when he noticed Sakura there, he would have dropped his towel and revealed his manly bits. And Sakura would have been like - OH EM EFF GEE! **

**O_______________O**

**See what happens to my thinking pattern when I have too much sugar at night?**


	3. Confirmation

**Chapter Three** _– Confirmation_

_When I caught myself, I had to stop myself,_

_I should have never thought of you,_

_You're pushing and pulling me down to you._

_I don't know what I want._

_No, I don't know what I want._

Sleep.

I couldn't do it.

I managed to sleep for about four hours before I woke up again. I tried to sleep numerous times afterwards– but failed miserably. I tossed and turned for the rest of the night. My body was worn out from training and the intense heat from yesterday. Yet, that wasn't enough to make my body want to turn off to rest. Did I sleep for that long at Kakashi-sensei's house the other day that it would disrupt my sleeping pattern?

I figured I couldn't fall asleep again, so instead I let my thoughts run free. Of course the only thing my mind managed to think about – was Kakashi-sensei.

I cursed out loud.

Was he the reason why my heart was still beating so loud? The reason why my whole body couldn't function properly and fall asleep like I wanted it to? My own body was willing against me.

I just found my sensei attractive. I mean, that's okay to think right? Finding my sensei attractive wasn't a crime. But wanting it to go further was.

And I definitely had no intention whatsoever of wanting that.

Right?

I sighed exasperatedly.

The calm within me had only lasted days before being turned into an emotional tidal wave all over again.

All because I couldn't control my thoughts. And these thoughts were worse when he was physically close to me. That was definitely a problem.

One thought led to another and soon enough, the sun began to rise and rays of light found its way through the gaps of the blinds on my windows, touching my bed sheets and my face.

This was nice. The heat made me sleepy again. I closed my eyes shut, and allowed myself to fall asleep. I had nothing to worry about. Kakashi-sensei probably cancelled training today, too. I had nowhere to be. So I might as well use my free time to catch up on some much needed sleep.

But just when my mind and body had let go and drifted off there was loud banging on my front door. It disrupted my attempts to hibernate and jerked my eyes open. I decided to ignore it. Perhaps they would give up soon. This thought comforted me as I tried to drown out the irritating hammering. But as I waited, the sound did not stop, it only grew louder and more frequent.

I groaned in frustration and anger as I tore myself from my bed. That would probably have been my last chance to get sleep. I didn't think my body was up for another round.

I stomped my way to the door, furious as to who was causing this annoyance this early in the morning. But when a thought occurred to me, I abruptly stopped before my front door, my hand frozen and hovering over the handle.

What if this was Kakashi-sensei?

And if it was him, why would he be knocking on _my_ front door?

My heart began to beat loudly again as the thought of Kakashi talking about what happened yesterday made me blush. Would he really be the type to do that?

The impatient knocking continued loudly, as if a response to my questions.

This couldn't be Kakashi-sensei. He wasn't loud and impatient like this. There was only one person I knew who had these exact traits. I rolled my eyes as the realisation dawned on me.

I opened the door and wasn't surprised to see Naruto standing there happily next to Sasuke who had an indifferent expression on his face.

"Good morning, Sakura!" He greeted cheerily.

"Good morning, Naruto." I inwardly wished that I had the ability to echo Naruto's cheerfulness right now. But I couldn't. I was sleep deprived and disappointed that it wasn't Kakashi at my doorstep.

"Kakashi-sensei wanted us to tell you that training is still on today," he grinned. "You coming?"

My brows furrowed at what he had said to me.

Kakashi wanted Naruto and Sasuke to tell me? Why had he gone to _their_ houses to inform them about training today and not mine? Especially when I lived closest to his house. Was he deliberately avoiding me?

I felt anger boil within me as Kakashi ignoring me was the last thing I wanted right now. Now, when I was dead tired in the morning and getting headaches from Kakashi's confusing signals _and_ now knowing I had to sacrifice a morning full of blissful sleep. And why was it that Naruto was always the deliverer of bad news?

"Um...S-sakura?"

I snapped out of my thoughts and realised how my fists were clenched tightly against my sides. I relaxed suddenly, tension on my face faded. I glanced at Naruto questioningly.

"You okay?" Naruto asked nervously, scratching the back of his neck.

I couldn't trust my voice. So I settled for smiling pleasantly instead.

He smiled in return, reassured. "So you gonna come to training, right? Kakashi will be there soon."

I gritted my teeth, and felt my jaw lock tightly at the mere mention of his name. I was angry at Kakashi because of all the confusion and unnecessary heartache he had caused me last night. I thought of it so much, I couldn't sleep. And not enough sleep made Sakura Haruno angry.

Naruto's smile dropped dramatically into a deep frown as he watched my face tense. "W-what'd I say?"

I shook my head and smiled again. "You go on ahead. I need to get ready."

I got dressed and packed my training equipment. But it wasn't really what I needed time to get ready for. I needed time to get ready emotionally and mentally to see Kakashi again today. I wasn't sure how he would act around me, so I was nervous, and I had to prepare myself for whatever behaviour he would throw at me. I needed to calm down and be in the right state of mind before I left my house.

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I couldn't believe how nervous I felt as I stood at the bridge with Naruto and Sasuke. I kept biting my lip and my hands were so shaky.

So much for preparation.

I wanted to face him and see whether yesterday was just a misunderstanding that I had made because of my lack of experience in _that_ area, or if the tension I had felt was real and had affected him just as much as it did to me. I hoped it wasn't the latter. I hoped that I had gotten the wrong impression and that it was all in my head. That way, this could all be avoided and I could forget about the whole thing. Because finding an interest in your sensei in _that_ way was a little more than just troublesome.

My hand reflexively pressed against my abdomen as my anxious mood was beginning to make me feel sick in the stomach. My nervousness was so strong that it caused me physical pain. There was only one other time that this had happened to me and it was when I still had that childhood crush on Sasuke. My face wrinkled as I tried to suppress the new pain. The pain in my head was already hard enough to bear.

Maybe I should leave, and fake that I had gotten food poisoned by my own cooking. Naruto would believe that. I recalled the day I had accidentally used an overdue ingredient in the ramen I had cooked for him that day he visited me. He had run off to use my toilet and stayed there for a good three hours. Ever since then, he never came over to eat. At least not my cooking.

I stood still and pondered the tempting idea.

It could work, and it wouldn't be too suspicious, because it was possible, believable a_nd_ Naruto would back me up on it.

But by then it was too late to decide.

"Yo," Kakashi waved, suddenly appearing in a puff of smoke behind us.

"About time," Sasuke mumbled as he pushed himself up to stand.

"Sensei! Late again!" Naruto pointed an accusing finger at Kakashi irritatingly.

Kakashi scratched his head and delivered his excuse. It only caused an uproar in Naruto. "But you used that excuse last week!"

I watched Kakashi's expression and his posture. Nothing was different. It was like yesterday hadn't happened at all. He was just his usual nonchalant self. I couldn't help but feel a little upset over it.

"Alright, alright. I'm sorry. How bout we stop arguing and wasting time and head over to the training grounds instead?" Kakashi suggested with a smile.

"Yeah!" Naruto agreed with an even bigger grin, his previous mood changing dramatically. He had a tendency to do that.

I stood still and watched as Naruto and Sasuke walked ahead of me.

I gasped sharply as a light weight landed on the top of my head. I looked up from under my lashes and realised it was Kakashi's hand.

"What's the matter? You okay?" Kakashi asked softly beside me.

I blushed profusely. It was an automatic reaction, I couldn't stop myself. "Y-yeah."

"You're a little quiet today aren't you? I expected you to have had a go at me like Naruto did."

"Why would I do that? You've been good to me Kakashi," I glanced at him smiling and quickly turned back, hoping he hadn't caught my blush.

He suddenly chuckled and I blushed even more. Had he noticed my blush? Or did I say something stupid?

"Since when did you stop calling me 'Kakashi-sensei'."

I stared in shock and disbelief. My mouth literally hung open. When did I stop calling him my sensei? And when did I only refer to him as just 'Kakashi'. I knew I had been thinking of my sensei in a way that meant more than just respect; I hadn't noticed how that had shown in my speech.

Oops. Major oops.

To call him without the honorific's would mean I knew him very well, and that we were on the same level. But I didn't know him very well at all. There were so many things that I _did_ want to know about him. And we were definitely not on the same level. He was my _sensei_, and I was his student. It was a no go. And by calling him by his first name–and being his student– would have suggested something more.

"Ahhh...haha! I just – I'm not feeling myself today. I haven't had a good night sleep."

Well that wasn't a lie. It was the truth. I hadn't slept decently at all, but my lack of sleep had less to do with the reason why I did call him 'Kakashi'. "It was just a slip of the tongue, sensei," I corrected and smiled.

"That's better," He smiled back. "Wouldn't want people getting the wrong idea now would we?"

I stared at him for a moment. Had I heard a double meaning in what he had just said to me?

Was he indirectly trying to tell me that_ I_ was getting the wrong idea? I felt my mind suddenly swirl with thoughts, and I found it hard to just focus on one. He quirked an eyebrow at my silence and I realised after a moment, that I had been staring at him, so I quickly found my voice and replied.

"Right, sensei," I agreed, my tone low and distant.

His hand lowered from the top of my head to rest on my shoulder, just like he always did. Except this time I couldn't help but notice how his hand was half resting on my neck. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand straight and even though his fingers were warm and burned into my skin his touch still gave me goose bumps.

"Hurry up, you old fart!" Naruto bursted out from the distance.

Kakashi sighed. "So impatient."

I smiled unsurely. "Yeah."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- -- --- - - - - - - - - -

Training was – like it always was.

Kakashi had acted no different to me. Though he did insist on everyone training together instead of just in pairs. I was glad he said it. I would have felt too awkward and distracted if I trained alone with Kakashi or if I sat alone with him again. I didn't think I would be able to handle the silence between us, nor the tension.

At least I _thought_ it was tension. I wasn't so sure anymore. I was getting mixed signals and signs and it was maddening.

I was the type of person that was distracted easily, so I found it quite the challenge to focus on my training. Whenever I saw an opening in Kakashi's defence I always paused and let him get away.

Hesitant.

Naruto had caught me. "Sakura! He was open! Why didn't you attack?"

"Sorry." I would reply pathetically. I never use to let Naruto yell at me like that _and_ get away with it. It was a sure sign that I wasn't feeling myself.

Without much of my help, Naruto and Sasuke had been claimed victorious by the end of the afternoon.

Even though they were both held back because of their absence in the village they were both way past their ranks as genin. If they had stayed in the village they would have at least been chunin by now; like I was. Though they were both more than enough to handle an experienced jounin like Kakashi, their strengths surpassed that of a jounin, though having either a Kyuubi inside you or possessing the cursed mark would be unfairly advantageous towards any ordinary jounins.

Not that I considered Kakashi to be an ordinary jounin.

I mean Kakashi-_sensei._

Kakashi had re-adjusted his headband to cover his left eye before speaking again. "Now that was a work out."

"You said it, sensei," Naruto winced in agreement. "Hey, this calls for ramen."

"Alright then," Kakashi began. "Naruto's shout," he declared.

"What? I never said I'd shout you all!" The blonde haired ninja shouted in disbelief. "I can barely pay for my bills!"

I stood there and watched them argue.

Well, only watching Kakashi really.

It was so strange how my heart seemed to react every time I glanced at him; this strange interest I had for him was beginning to worry me.

I suddenly felt like someone was drilling holes at my back, so I turned around to the suspicion and noticed Sasuke standing there. Watching me. His gaze had diverted when I had cocked an eyebrow at him in question.

I waited for him to say something, but he said nothing. He only closed his eyes and followed after Kakashi and Naruto.

Strange.

After the crush on Sasuke had faded to nothing, I hadn't figured out why I ever found him so appealing.

Maybe it was the hair.

These thoughts led to thoughts of Kakashi's hair. I knew it wasn't Kakashi's hair that I was attracted to. There was nothing attractive about the messy, unruly, mop-like hairstyle of his.

So what was it that made me so intrigued? What was it about him that piqued my interests? I pondered these thoughts as I put myself on auto-pilot towards Ichiraku.

Maybe it was the hair...

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- -- --- - - - - - - - - -

When we had arrived at Ichiraku, Kakashi and Naruto had come to an agreement that Naruto would pay for tonight's dinner and Kakashi would pay for the next. Though I highly doubted Naruto would get his end of the deal. We waited patiently for our food as Naruto chatted up the chef and his daughter.

I sat in my seat quietly and tried not to be so conscious about sitting between Kakashi and Naruto. With my peripheral vision I averted my eyes to glance at Kakashi curiously before quickly settling my eyes back down at my lap before he noticed. I was acting so childish. I wanted to say something but I didn't know what.

How you been? Nice weather, huh? So you like ramen? Do you feel sexual tension when you're with me or is that just me?

I made a face at that last thought as if I had tasted something bad – it was more like I had thought something bad.

Our ramen had arrived a good ten minutes later and Naruto had dug in almost the instant it was set on his side of the table. A small smile cracked on my lips. I missed times like this with Naruto at Ichiraku. He always got so excited over a simple bowl of ramen.

I found my eyes automatically lock on Kakashi as my gaze diverted from Naruto to Kakashi on my left. His chopsticks and his ramen were set aside, his familiar orange book propped up on the table and between his fingers.

"Sensei, aren't you going to eat?"

He looked up from his little orange book and smiled. "After this chapter."

"But your food will get cold," I insisted.

I wanted to see his face, and I wanted to be the first to see it –besides the chef and Ayame of course– It was the perfect chance too. Naruto was too preoccupied and distracted with his bowl of ramen to have noticed what I was up to and Sasuke must have lost interest in this past time or given up on it years ago.

"I'll ask them to heat it up for me."

"But they'll be closing by the time you finish, you wouldn't want them to stick around just so that you could finish eating, that's plain rude sensei," I continued. Though vaguely in the back of my mind I knew they wouldn't mind at all if it meant Kakashi would be bestowing his face upon them again. I was pretty sure they'd gawk at him till late. I found myself jealous at that fact so I decided to eat my ramen slowly. Slow enough for Naruto and Sasuke to have finished theirs and leave. Slow enough for Kakashi to reveal his mask later on.

Each mouthful was eaten slowly with deliberateness, I swirled my ramen around, picking at the vegetables and the naruto's.

"What's wrong? Our ramen not good enough?" The chef had suddenly spoken, sounding almost vicious to my ears.

I stared wide-eyed, "No! Of course not!" I quickly denied. "I just like to take my time to enjoy the full flavour of the food and it's um – its freshness." I continued.

"Yeah, yeah! Sakura loves your ramen! Cos the ramen she cooks at home is really bad!" Naruto remarked loudly. All the other customers had stopped to stare at me. I suppressed a scowl and smiled crookedly instead.

"Ah, I understand, good ramen is hard to cook," he replied looking at me almost pitifully.

I was going to kill Naruto when I was alone with him in a dark alleyway. I made a mental note of it.

Naruto had babbled on about his cooking much to my discomfort as he paid for our bill.

"Alright! Now I'm feeling satisfied," the blonde haired boy announced as he rubbed his belly as emphasis. In the middle of a yawn Naruto abruptly stopped. "Ah! Kakashi-sensei hasn't eaten yet!" He exclaimed, his observation delayed by miles.

"I'll take it home with me," Kakashi replied placidly.

"Ah, okay, you two eat so slowly, I'm going home," he yawned. "Goodnight!"

I tried to suppress my smile. I was going to be alone with Kakashi now.

Right on cue, Sasuke rose from his seat quietly from my far right side. He stood still for a moment and gave me one long hard measured and meaningful look before leaving after Naruto.

"Goodnight, Sasuke," my mouth worded awkwardly. He nodded his head before disappearing into the night.

Sasuke always had a way with making me feel awkward with his newfound creepiness. He's been with Orochimaru for too long.

I turned my attention to my neglected ramen and glanced at Kakashi's.

"Sensei, eat up," I demanded.

"I have," he replied idly.

I eyed him carefully then inched closer to look into the contents of his ramen bowl. And just like he had said, it was empty. "Eh!" I shrieked in incredulity. "When-did-you?" I was shocked into unresponsiveness.

He replied with a humoured snort. "I eat fast."

I surveyed him sceptically. "How do I know you didn't just tip it out or something?"

"Just trust me," he replied easily.

"Would _you_ trust a man that always hid his face behind a mask?"

He raised his brows dramatically at me. "Sakura, I'm hurt. How could you not trust your sensei?" He feigned sadness. "After all these years?"

"Well, how do you think I feel? Being forced to trust a man whose face I've never seen?" I reiterated evenly.

"Ah. You do have a point there," he admitted.

I grinned.

Kakashi stroked his cloth covered chin. "But, you know. What if my face is so ugly and deformed that I have to hide my face in order to prevent other people from being scarred by looking at it? I'm trying to protect everyone. You can't blame me for that."

I sighed exasperatedly. "Sensei, I very much doubt that's the reason why you keep that thing on."

He isn't ugly or deformed. Why else would Ayame and her father be head over heels in love with him? Besides, you could kind of already imagine what he would look like without the mask. His mask was tight on his face, making his straight nose and defined chin prominent, both quite attractive traits.

"Well, I may have a couple of allergies –"

"Nope," I replied a little too fast.

He threw me a questioning look. "How would you know?" He asked with genuine curiosity.

"I used to work in Tsunade's office. I've seen basically everyone's profile and you have no allergies," I stated smugly.

"Stalker."

I stuck my tongue out childishly in reply.

He laughed. For some reason, Kakashi's laugh sounded alluring and almost hypnotizing to me. It was weird, I'd never thought of his laugh like that before.

"Sakura, you_ have_ seen what's under my mask," he reminded pleasantly.

"Yeah, I know," I replied coolly. "You have _anothe_r mask underneath that one," I sighed impatiently, crossing my arms.

"Mm," he nodded.

We sat there silently; both enjoying each other's company. I tried my ramen, but it was warm by then, so I pushed it aside. I stretched my arms and legs and yawned quietly.

"You know, maybe it's just me." I was caught off guard as I heard the change of tone Kakashi had suddenly acquired. He wasn't joking around anymore.

I perked my head in reply at his mood swing. "What do you mean?"

"It's me who has trust issues," he started. "I can't even trust myself sometimes. Maybe that's why I have to wear a mask all the time, so that my expression doesn't betray me, eh?" He smiled warmly at me.

"I don't know what you mean, sensei," I replied oblivious. Was he referring to something in particular? His distant voice and expression told me yes.

He chuckled at my clueless state. "Never mind."

"But!" I started, but was suddenly cut off.

My eyes widened in shock and disbelief as he placed a single finger against my lips to silence me, I obligingly shut up. He was sitting on the edge of his seat and his whole body was turned toward me, his eyes were pushed up in little arches. "You're cute when you're confused."

Okay.

Am I dreaming? Is this some cruel joke my subconscious is playing on me?

I only stared, absolutely miffed by his comment. His face was only inches away from mine, his finger touching my lips, and he had just called me cute.

What the hell was I suppose to say?

You're cute too?

Sometime during these musings of mine, Kakashi's finger retreated as he stood up from his seat. "Need me to walk you home? Or are you not a baby anymore?" He teased.

It took me a whole minute to come up with an answer. "Sure," I whispered the soft syllable uncertainly.

But I only sat there, my eyes unblinking. I didn't know if I could walk. Why did he do this to me? Why did he affect me like this?

He extended his arm and offered a hand. "You feeling sick?" he asked, surely noticing that I was clutching onto my stomach and my face becoming paler by the second.

"Something like that."

He pulled me up in one swift movement, and I felt myself sway as I got my feet firmly planted on the ground. I began to regret agreeing to his offer. The silence was deafening. I felt desperate to break it but didn't know how to do that without making it even more awkward.

"So," Kakashi drawled, "You don't think I'm ugly?"

I threw him a startled look at his blunt question. I blushed and quickly hung my head so that my hair fell over my face. "Well, th-that is what people are saying."

"Hm," he pondered the information thoughtfully. "But no one has seen my face, how would they know what I look like?"

"Well, it's only what they think, not what they're sure of."

He huffed loudly. "People really shouldn't talk about what they aren't sure of."

My eyes softened as I thought of what he had said. So did that mean I should keep my pathetic feelings to myself and not ask him about it? Because I wasn't sure about anything anymore. But it didn't mean I agreed with what he had said. I believed otherwise.

"But sensei, it's normal to talk about what you are unsure of. How else would you find out what you want to know?" I blurted out.

He threw me a surprised look. "How does gossiping about someone's face allow you to find out what it really looks like?" His tone was mild and slightly bemused.

I blinked.

Oh.

I had taken his comment the wrong way. A little too personal. How embarrassing.

"I –ah, guess you're right."

He smiled in reply.

And that was the last we talked during our trip to my house. He had offered conversation and I had shot it down with my idiocy like Tenten at target practice. I used the silence between us to muster the courage for what I was about to do.

When we had reached my doorstep I skipped forward to stand in front of my door, facing him. I had enough courage to do that at least but by then there were more butterflies in my stomach than guts for what I had to say.

He appeared amused. It didn't help my already faltering disposition.

"What is it?" He had noticed the way my lip quirked slightly.

I couldn't handle my thoughts any longer, not being able to know the truth was bad for my heart and my health. I wanted to know for sure, whether what I was thinking was all in my head. I didn't want to wait around for some sort of sure signal; I wanted him to tell me himself, even if it meant I would be embarrassed or hurt by the outcome and that our relationship would be ruined. I was confident we would overcome it. I had to be sure, I had to be confident, otherwise I wouldn't be able to face him right now and ask it straight out.

"Kakashi," I began softly, deliberately not adding the honorifics. I blushed hotly as I watched him go wide-eyed and rigid.

I couldn't do it.

"I want to ask you something." I knew I was stalling. I couldn't even look at him by this point. "I want to know whether you feel – "

"Sakura."

His tone was silencing, dominating and husky all mixed in one.

0I glanced up at him in an instant reflex reaction; my heart had skidded by just hearing him speak. I could feel my red cheeks as I searched his eyes for my answer.

"Sakura," he reasoned as he held onto my shoulder giving me a powerful stare, he struggled for words as his grip on my shoulder tightened. "We mustn't talk about what we aren't sure of, remember?" He tried to smile, but could only work up a quirk to his eye.

"But sensei, I want to know." I felt more confident when I spoke. Maybe because he knew what I was talking about. At least I knew I wasn't the only one aware of how close we were that day. I was relieved to know that he had felt it too.

"Sakura, please," he strained. "It wasn't real, what you felt was nonexistent."

I went silent as I felt hot tears threaten to cascade down my face. His words had hit me like a plane had just crashed into me. The relieved feeling had disappeared the moment I felt it.

"I'm sorry. I'm so stupid," I mumbled quietly as I wrenched my body from his hard grip and scrambled to find the keys in my bag. I must have looked really stupid, because by then my tears had fallen and blurred my vision; I had dropped the keys twice before fitting it into the stupid keyhole.

I closed the door behind me without a second glance, I didn't want to know whether he was still standing there feeling sorry for me. I didn't want to see that look of pity on his face for me. I already felt ashamed of myself. But what did I expect? I knew this was coming.

But at least I knew the truth.

"_It wasn't real, what you felt was nonexistent."_

I wailed loudly as the hurtful words had cut through me again like a double bladed sword stabbed to an already open wound.

I couldn't sleep that night, I stayed up all night sitting by my front door and staring at my floor, images of what had happened mere minutes ago replaying in my mind like a visual theatre.

I was such a fool.

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**I hope you like it! And please review! ^_^ And if you have any suggestions for this story, that would be nice too. =]**


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